Global Engagement

May 23 2025

As evening rain fell with a cold May wind, we gathered our belongings, stepped off the bus, and exchanged warm hugs and sad goodbyes. Though our journey together has come to an end, the connections we formed through this shared…

May 23 2025

By Lexie Coburn On May 20 we got home from our closing retreat at Camp Nacome in Tennessee where we reflected and processed our shared experiences and individual experiences we had in Selma, Alabama. Who would have thought 13 people…

May 21 2025

By Jill Yoder, junior environmental & marine science major On May 16, a warm and sunny day, our class returned to Peehkahkionki, “the beautiful place,” where we had visited about two weeks earlier. This time, we met Dani Tippmann, who…

May 20 2025

By Jazmin Ibarra Today is May 19th, I am sitting in a community lodge in Camp NaCoMe in Tennessee for our SST closing retreat, reflecting on my experiences and my encounters in Selma. Where can I even start? Before this…

May 19 2025

By Mafe Aguilar Vargas, graphic design and marketing majors Beginning on May 7, we spent two days with the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi and camped one night at their campground. Our first day consisted of hearing about the tribe…

May 19 2025

By Aaliah Higereda, junior graphic design major and communication minor After lodging at the Chain of Lakes and settling into our last location, Rieth village, located at the Merry Lea Environmental Center in Wolf Lake, Indiana, our group loaded onto…

May 19 2025

by Mariela Esparza, a class of 2023 English major.  Day 6: Mayan spirituality lecture – SEMILLA We received our guest speaker, Ronaldo, at 9 a.m. on Monday. Ronaldo told us that for the Mayans, everything spiritual was grounded in tangible…

May 19 2025

By Crystal Edson, senior environmental & marine science major and sustainability minor, and member of the Local Indigenous Cultures and Perspectives May Term course.  On May 3, our class traveled to the northwest side of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and had…

May 19 2025

Fernando Daza shares about his experience exploring Chief Richardville House, a Historical Myaamia (Miami) treaty house in Fort Wayne, Indiana. On a surprisingly chilly May morning, our class boarded the iconic Goshen College bus at Camp Friedenswald, our home for…

May 19 2025

On Tuesday, we had the opportunity to listen to and interact with Luke Gascho, who retired in 2019 after spending 22 years as the executive director of Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center. He currently runs a fruit, nut, and berry…

May 19 2025

Wendy Hernandez, junior nursing major, shares about being a part of a traditional indigenous longhouse ceremony and a tour of Pokagon Health Services with the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi. After a rather chilly night of camping at the Pokagon Campgrounds,…

May 19 2025

On Saturday, our class toured the British Museum, one of the largest museums in the world. We started by looking at the (real!) Rosetta Stone, then branched off for our own exploration of the massive collection. We were struck by…

May 19 2025

By Jacob Dixon My experience working with a crew of people that exert their best effort to make sure that other people are being cared for, has been one of the most fulfilling things that I have done all year.…

May 19 2025

Today was our final day with our host families! We started off the day going to church, and a small group of us sang La Paz de la Tierra (The Peace of the Earth) for the congregation. At lunch, the…

May 19 2025

17 May 2025 Written by Henry Meyer Hey, quick note. There is a blog in English, and one in Spanish. This is the English one. Si quieres leer el blog en español, selecciona la versión con el título en español.…

May 19 2025

17 Mayo 2025 Escrito por Henry Meyer Hola, wepa, una notita. Hay un blog en español y uno en inglés. Este es el blog en español. If you want to read the English version, click on the blog with the…

May 18 2025

This morning we’re heading out for a week of trekking in the inner Himalaya. We’ll be experiencing a bit of life in mountain villages, and trekking from temperate forests into sub-alpine and even alpine ecosystems. Our elevation will range from…

May 18 2025

This afternoon we returned from our week long trek higher in the Himalayas. What a trip that turned out to be! Our hike took us from the beautiful village of Agora up to Dodital, a small lake high in the...

May 17 2025

By Elise Jantz Pistols crack. The scent of gunpowder floats through the air. Scarlet blood spurts out to stain our fearless leader, Professor Solomia Soroka, and we stand witness as Romeo murders Paris, then himself. Welcome to the Verona of…

May 17 2025

By Maggie Lapp On Thursday the group took a day trip to Oxford. As the self proclaimed biggest fan of the Harry Potter series, (though not the author of the books,) I was excited to visit the campus that inspired…

May 16 2025

By Lily Herrera The one word I want to use to describe today and for the past few days is fulfilling. This morning, May 15, I gave a devotion in front of the Mennonite Disaster Service year long volunteers and…

May 16 2025

Today was a recreational day with host families. While some students went to Los Chorritos de Villalba, the students from El Barrio de la Plata went to La Playa Escambrón in San Juan. It was a day of rest and…

May 15 2025

Camila Pérez-Diener The day started off at 9 am at Betania, a private Mennonite school right outside of Aibonito Puerto Rico. We were planning to do some work around the school that was intended to be done on Monday, but…

May 14 2025

By Judith Rangel Visit to the Legacy Museum On Saturday, May 10th, we visited The Legacy Museum in Montgomery. It was a meaningful and unforgettable day that will stay with me forever. While Mexicans/Latino stories were not discussed often, I…